Adeline

• mini review • Ice by Anna Kavan

4 stars Speculative literary fiction where the world is being destroyed by ice it follows an unnamed character who tries to find a woman fleeing from another man, the mysterious warden.

My last read of 2025 and this was such a strange little book written in a gorgeous, lush and surrealistic prose. There was the tense, obsessed and hypnotic tone of the unreliable and psychotic narrator, the psychedelic fever dream narration, the icy and eerie atmosphere of a film noir set in a cold and desolate apocalyptic world. So all of these elements made for a haunting, surreal, oppressive read, yet still fascinating and I liked the themes touched upon by the author. Despite being written in the 60s there was an universal and timeless , even modern feel to it, with a lack of distinct cultural references, so this could have been written 100 years ago or 10 years for now by any author from any country. Despite being first narrated in first point of view by our main protagonist, there were moments where the POV seemed to shift to other characters which increased the chaotic and dizzying feel of the story, as events seemed constructed randomly together, with a plot that was non existent.

I’m not sure how I felt about the characters and their flip flopping emotions, the plotless story. So ultimately it was the atmosphere and writing that really struck me. Overall an interestingly bizarre short story but one that didn’t fulfil me emotionally.

Historical fantasy following Vasya a young girl living in the Russian countryside with her family, wild and touched by magic, she starts to sense a dark and threatening presence growing in the woods.

I absolutely inhaled this novel by Katherine Arden, her debut novel and the first book in a trilogy. This was such a wonderful read, the writing was so lush and evocative. I loved the presence of folklore and folktale woven into the story, giving it a whimsical but dark tone, and the wintery desolate atmosphere was perfectly captured. I loved how the author approached themes of patriarchy, traditions, zealotry, folklore, worship, faith, love etc. I really liked Vasya as a main character, such a strong and resilient girl who resists social, religious and gender norms, you can’t help but root for her. Other side characters were also compelling, I liked the winter king as a magical figure reminiscent of Hades, and even the pathetic Konstantinos and evil Anna was strongly drawn so they made for a good cast of grey characters. There was a couple of pacing problems (the middle felt a bit too dragging and the ending a bit too rushed, especially the last confrontation) that knocked half a star off for me. Overall, a perfect book for this winter season, I can’t wait to check ou the other two books.

4.25 stars for each book. Mystery fantasy with elements of horror and romance, following a forger, a disgraced paladin and an assassin, alongside a scholar who are sent on an espionage mission to stop the terrible mechanical soldiers raging war against Dowager City. The Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine were initially written as one single story later split into two books, I’ve decided to review them together.

I loved this story, the world of the White Rat is so fun and exciting. As always T. Kingfisher does a great job balancing humour and horror, interesting mystery and compelling characters. I loved Slate and Caliban (which I now realised was referred to in the Saint of Steel series), particularly but all the characters were great.

Despite my enjoyment there was a difference in tone and pacing between the two books. It was a bit jarring, as the first was fast paced and adventurous while the second was much slower and reflective (too much sometimes). So I’m not sure about splitting the story in two books was it, but maybe a single long novel wouldn’t have made it better. So overall, the pacing wasn’t perfect. There was also a couple of plot elements that I wanted to see more developed or that were rushed a bit.

This was the first books written in the world of the white Rat so technically I’ve read all of the published works and I can’t wait to read the upcoming books in that series.

4.25 stars for each book. Mystery fantasy with elements of horror and romance, following a forger, a disgraced paladin and an assassin, alongside a scholar who are sent on an espionage mission to stop the terrible mechanical soldiers raging war against Dowager City. The Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine were initially written as one single story later split into two books, I’ve decided to review them together.

I loved this story, the world of the White Rat is so fun and exciting. As always T. Kingfisher does a great job balancing humour and horror, interesting mystery and compelling characters. I loved Slate and Caliban (which I now realised was referred to in the Saint of Steel series), particularly but all the characters were great.

Despite my enjoyment there was a difference in tone and pacing between the two books. It was a bit jarring, as the first was fast paced and adventurous while the second was much slower and reflective (too much sometimes). So I’m not sure about splitting the story in two books was it, but maybe a single long novel wouldn’t have made it better. So overall, the pacing wasn’t perfect. There was also a couple of plot elements that I wanted to see more developed or that were rushed a bit.

This was the first books written in the world of the white Rat so technically I’ve read all of the published works and I can’t wait to read the upcoming books in that series.

4.25 RTC when I’ll finish book 2

4.5 stars

Speculative dystopian (but ultimately prescient) literary fiction, where an isolated Californian town in the mountains is transformed by a strange sleeping virus that progressively contaminates thousands of its inhabitants.

My second book from Karen Thompson Walker this was yet again a phenomenal read. Like her previous book I read (The strange case of Jane O), I absolutely love her writing so lush and hypnotic, with the eerie atmosphere of a town hit by an epidemic perfectly captured.

I liked the speculative elements were being speckled throughout the narrative, and how the author approached various themes on love, family, survival, community, individualism, dreams, reality, etc This was definitely more character centric than plot centric, as we see different characters point of views. Some of the storylines I connect more than others and there a couple of characters’ arcs that I felt was rushed a bit too quickly. I don’t mind the open ending (very realistic) but I felt the pacing was a bit off towards the last few chapters.

This was published in 2019, so reading this in a post Covid world felt weirdly prescient as the author described events and behaviours that actually happened in real life, and this experience is even more strange because it kind of parallels the thematics and speculative elements developed in the book.

This is a book that doesn’t have all the answers in a neat package so ultimately it will influence your enjoyment. Overall a perfect read for people who love gorgeously written speculative fiction, specifically light sci-fi, I’m looking forward to Karen Thompson Walker future books.

3.5 stars Epic fantasy with elements of murder mystery, following Neema, a scholar who becomes involved in a tournament to choose the next emperor, after one of the contender for the throne has been found murdered.

Soooo overall this was a great concept but the execution was a mixed bag for me. It started quite well, this being a fast paced setting of the story and the world so I quickly went through the first third of the book.

I really liked the concept , a mix of murder mystery and tournament. The world building was super interesting, specifically the animal deities and their specificities being transmitted to their followers. I liked the themes of the power of stories and folktales, religion as human invention, love, family, etc

The quality of the prose felt inconsistent, but mostly the writing was good especially the descriptions and world building elements.

I liked Neema as the main character and her arc, (I’ve seen some reviews identifying her as neurodivergent) and the other characters like Tala, Yasila, Ruko and Fenn. ‪However, most of the time, there was something about the relationship and dialogue between characters that bothered me. Despite being in their 20s and 30s, their interactions felt a bit superficial and juvenile (not that people in that age group can’t have juvenile moments but still).

Also it became more and more evident that each plot points didn’t evolve organically or subtlety enough, like some scenes was stitched together. So many of the twists and the emotional scenes were less impactful, though I did really like the type of twists the author went for. Halfway into the book the main resolution of the mystery plot felt rushed and the tournament part dragged, so the pacing also felt off, I think a shorter, edited book more focused on the mystery would have been better.

Because the execution was lacking, I’m not sure I’ll check out the sequel immediately and in physical format, I might download the ebook one day.

3.75 stars

Historical literary fiction translated from Norwegian, it follows the real life figure of Belle Gunness, a young woman who immigrated from Norway to the US at the end of the 19th century, and later known as the first female serial killer in the country.

How do you write the slow decay of the mind ? I feel the writing style in this was a perfect example, a frenzied stream of consciousness capturing the mental illness of the character, her depravity. The author painted her character’s words and feelings like a fever dream, with chaotic flashes of emotional, religious, violent and sexual ecstasy.

However this wasn’t a simple retelling of the murders perpetrated by Belle Gunness, with a classic narrative arc. It was more a hyper focused look on her psyche, so for me it ended up too static, dense and one tone story, too redundant and abstract. Another point of view, more outside context (like her supposed insurance frauds) or more excerpts of historical documents would have made it more interesting and dynamic read for me.

An unsettling little book with a lush prose but ultimately not compelling enough for me, overall this was mixed reading experience.

4.5 stars Speculative mystery, following Isserley a woman who spends her days riding her car, travelling through Scotland, picking up hitchhikers for mysterious reasons.

My first time reading Michael Faber, I really liked this book ! The writing was gorgeous, lush with an unsettling atmosphere and evocative description of the Scottish land. I love how the author explained the reasons behind Isserley’s actions in a subtle way, revealing bits by bits his overall world building that was fascinating. I liked reading about Isserley, her thoughts, pains and hopes, she came across as a very complex and touching person. I also liked how the author approached themes like identity, speciesism, oppression, capitalism, classism, animal rights, misogyny, perception and alienation

This wasn’t a strictly horror book, more unsettling than gory though there was a couple of disturbing scenes that really underlined the unsettling and creepy atmosphere. I’d also advise other readers to check the trigger warnings.

As this was a very character centric novel, the plot wasn’t incredibly elaborate and lack any intricate storyline which didn’t really bother me. Although I really liked the ending, however I felt the development towards it felt a bit rushed, compared to the rest of the story who was rightly paced for the atmosphere it conveyed. I also wanted to see more of the world so the last scenes felt a bit abrupt.

I also know there was a movie adaptation but from what I’ve heard I probably won’t watch it.

Overall a dark and unsettling novel, I definitely recommend reading this novel with knowing as little as possible about it.

4.5 stars Speculative mystery, following Isserley a woman who spends her days riding her car, travelling through Scotland, picking up hitchhikers for mysterious reasons.

My first time reading Michael Faber, I really liked this book ! The writing was gorgeous, lush with an unsettling atmosphere and evocative description of the Scottish land. I love how the author explained the reasons behind Isserley’s actions in a subtle way, revealing bits by bits his overall world building that was fascinating. I liked reading about Isserley, her thoughts, pains and hopes, she came across as a very complex and touching person. I also liked how the author approached themes like identity, speciesism, oppression, capitalism, classism, animal rights, misogyny, perception and alienation

This wasn’t a strictly horror book, more unsettling than gory though there was a couple of disturbing scenes that really underlined the unsettling and creepy atmosphere. I’d also advise other readers to check the trigger warnings.

As this was a very character centric novel, the plot wasn’t incredibly elaborate and lack any intricate storyline which didn’t really bother me. Although I really liked the ending, however I felt the development towards it felt a bit rushed, compared to the rest of the story who was rightly paced for the atmosphere it conveyed. I also wanted to see more of the world so the last scenes felt a bit abrupt.

I also know there was a movie adaptation but from what I’ve heard I probably won’t watch it.

Overall a dark and unsettling novel, I definitely recommend reading this novel with knowing as little as possible about it.

4.25 Historical literary fiction following Tom, a young English man, who works as a shanker (fisherman), but dreams of becoming a folk singer; one day he encounters Edgar, a film director from Hollywood who hires him to show him potential locations for his next movie.

This was such a lovely little read. The writing was lush and evocative, the author did such a great job recreating the bleak seaside location, the hard and monotonous life of a fisherman. The setting made me remember of how a town on the Belgian coast is keeping this tradition (of shrimp fishing with horses) alive today. The atmosphere was perfectly damp like the moody sea weather, I loved the descriptions of the ghostly, claustrophobic and threatening presence of the fog on the beach. So this was a perfectly appropriate book for this wintery season. I really liked the slow burn character centric approach, that allows us to get into Tom’s thoughts, his aspirations and hopes, his desperation for another life. There was an emotional intelligence and positivity to Tom that made this a compelling and enriching read. I liked how the author discussed various themes on art, motherhood, tradition, family, choice, happiness, working class, ambition, etc The pacing itself was good though the ending and the characters’ arc resolutions felt a bit too abrupt, and I would have liked more fleshed out scenes with side characters. Overall a quick but very enjoyable atmospheric read.

3.25 stars Speculative literary fiction following Kathy a carer in an alternate 90s who reminisces on her days in a special British boarding school alongside her childhood friends Ruth and Tommy.

At first I liked the world building, the subtle hints at something not being quite right about the characters, the speculative elements being buried under layers of everyday life, a twisted version of a classic boarding school story, making it like a magical realism novel.

However most of the novel felt like a slog, not a good sort of slow burn. There was a lot of repetitiveness (in words like «  anyway » « what I’m saying is » or « the point is, « whether I mean is ») that quickly became annoying. Also the narrator had a lot of meandering thoughts with superfluous details, not only in her thoughts but also the dialogue shared between other characters. To be honest I hate when people take forever to talk about stuff in real life so it definitely negatively impacted my enjoyment of the story. The most interesting pieces of lore ended up being stuffed towards the end of the book, and I wished it had been better displayed throughout the story.

Kathy as the narrator came across a bit as a dull not being helped by the writing. I liked her relationship with Tommy, though he wasn’t a compelling character either, but I really felt for them. Ruth was a bully so I really didn’t care for her.

Because of that pacing and the lack of compelling characters, this really lacked emotional impact for me so this ended up being a very mixed experience. Overall a great concept with interesting world building but the execution left me underwhelmed.

3.75 stars Murder mystery taking place on the Orient Express train where Meredith, an Australian lawyer, and her twin brother Joe, a writer and lover of crime fiction, are travelling to Istanbul after Joe’s long battle with cancer. But their trip is perturbed by multiple deaths and the disappearance of their neighbouring passenger in addition to a Covid outbreak in another part of the train.

This is the second book by Sulari Gentill I’m reading, and although I prefer the previous one, this wasn’t a bad reading experience. First of all I loved the setting of the Orient Express train and it definitely made me want to rewatch the 1974 movie (definitely the best version, I wasn’t a fan of the Poirot episode) and some of the other adaptations of Agatha Christie’s works. I also liked the discussion about crime fiction, trains in fiction, true crime and the legacy and influence of fiction on our society. This felt very much like a plot heavy story and not much a character centric one. I liked the main character but I felt the side characters were at best boring and at worst useless. The pacing was good, fast paced and page turning. There was a good amount of twists though a couple fell flat since I had other darker theories. This was definitely a more cozy read so they didn’t happened. I devoured the book in a little over a day so I didn’t feel like I’ve waste time reading it, hence my rating. Although the last chapter was also a useless addition in my opinion, adding nothing to the plot nor the characters, not even a last twist.

Overall, a nice little cozy read that didn’t wow me but it made me want to rewatch some Agatha Christie’s adaptations, still the GOAT of crime/detective stories. I’ll probably check out the authors other work since I like books about books and other meta stuff.